Capturing Memories
by Reign0931
Summary: A yearlong project could be what it takes to make Yamamoto Shin's life turn into a one of a kind rollercoaster ride. Oh well, he might as well enjoy the ride. WARNING: Possible BL, Male OC. You have been warned.
1. Project

Capturing Memories

Summary: A yearlong project could be what it takes to make Yamamoto Shin's life turn into a one of a kind roller coaster ride. Oh well, he might as well enjoy the ride.

* * *

Chapter 1: Project

* * *

"To those who are in the Photography club, please raise your hand!" Yoshida-sensei said, with a small smile. He was teaching Math, our last subject for the day.

I slowly, and a little lazily, raised my hand. I was the only one who did. Huh. Maybe the Photography club wasn't so popular in this school.

"Ah? Only you?" Yoshida-sensei said, surprised. "Well, I received a notice today from the Principal, to excuse the members of the Photography club and dismiss them early for a club meeting. So I guess you're free to go!"

'_Eh? A club meeting?'_ I thought. I stood up from my chair, and placed my things inside my messenger bag. I bowed slightly to Yoshida-sensei, before leaving the room and sliding close the door.

Wasn't it weird for our club to have us be dismissed early from our academics, on the very first day of school? Seirin High really is different from Kaijo High. I chuckled to myself. Maybe Seirin High was just weird.

I walked slowly and calmly to the club room, there was no need to rush.

'_I'm thankful though. Yoshida-sensei is okay, but it's MATH. Being good at it doesn't mean I enjoy it.'_

* * *

Finally arriving, I knocked on the door and opened it, entering the room.

"Are you Yamamoto Shin?" A boy whom I remembered from this morning's 'Club Recruitment' said. Maybe I was half-asleep or something when I submitted my club form to him, because I can't seem to remember his name. All I can remember is that he's from a higher year than me.

"Yes senpai. Good afternoon." I calmly replied. _'He looks ticked off though, maybe I was the only one who hadn't arrived yet?'_

"Good, you're already here. We already had roll call, you were the only one left-"

'_Oh. I was right.'_

"Take a seat so we can start the meeting."

"Yes senpai, sorry for making you wait." I said, while bowing. I slowly walked to a chair next to the window, near the back, and sat on it. Senpai wasn't talking yet, so I was busying myself by observing my club mates.

'_One... Two... Three... Four...Five…Eh?' _Five? Five members. Photography isn't so popular, huh.

"Okay. First, I'll introduce myself. I'm Fujimoto Akio, 3-A. I'm the president of this club." Senpai, Fujimoto-senpai now, I guess, said. "Now, some of you may think why an early club meeting was called. This is because I would like to discuss with you a project."

Soft whispers were exchanged between my club mates at his words.

"Quiet down." The whispers suddenly stopped. _'That was fast. Maybe he rules with an iron fist or something?'_ I thought, puzzled and awed. He waited, as if trying to find a single, stubborn whisper. Then he continued. "I'll tell you the details. Each and every one of us will be assigned to a particular club; their "plus one" so to speak. You will make a portfolio, composed of their pictures as a club, for the whole school year, and will be submitted at the end of it. This will be your major project. But do not be mistaken, though this is your major project, it doesn't mean it will be your _only_ project. I may assign a minor one, one of these days. Any complaints?" No one answered.

"Okay then." He took out a fishbowl filled with scraps of paper. "It will be a "draw lots" Once you already got a paper, you may leave and go to your assigned club. It's a shame that we couldn't take pictures of the club recruitment earlier, but we can't do anything about it anymore. So, who's first?"

Might as well get this over with.

"I'll go first, senpai."

"Okay, Yamamoto."

I stood, walked to the fishbowl and took a paper without looking. I opened my paper, and read the words written on it.

-BASKETBALL CLUB-

I started walking to the gym, with a slight smile on my face.

'_Basketball? This might just be fun!'_

* * *

**A.N.**

**I did my best?**


	2. Capture

Capturing Memories

Summary: A yearlong project could be what it takes to make Yamamoto Shin's life turn into a one of a kind roller coaster ride. Oh well, he might as well enjoy the ride.

* * *

Chapter 2: Capture

* * *

I was outside of the gym, and I could fairly hear disbelieving shouts. Something about a coach?

'_What a rowdy bunch…'_ To think I could hear their shouts from outside. _'Maybe they're practicing for their cheers in matches! Wouldn't it be cool to have practices for that?'_ I thought, stars in my eyes.

I loudly knocked on the door and opened it. The shouts abruptly stopped.

'_Ah? Well isn't this awkward?'_ I thought, slowly blinking my eyes.

Silence, complete silence.

Blink. Blink.

Then I decided to speak up.

"Ano…May I please speak to the coach?"

A girl with short, brown hair quickly approached me.

"I'm the coach. Aida Riko, 2-A. Yoroshiku." She said, bowing.

"I'm Yamamoto Shin, 2-C. Yoroshiku." I replied, bowing.

"What brings you here then, Yamamoto-san?" Ah? Why was I here again? Think, Shin, think. Project…The project!

"Ah…Aida-san, I'm from the Photography club. Fujimoto-senpai, our president, gave us a project. We were assigned to different clubs, and I was assigned to yours. Fujimoto-senpai said that we would take pictures of the club, for the whole school year! But it would be fine if you're not comfortable with it. I will just ask Fujimoto-senpai to assign me to another club." _'After all, I'm not even sure if Fujimoto-senpai told the other clubs about this.'_

"It's okay! We'd gladly accept you! Let's go inside, and I'll introduce you to the other club members!" She replied, beaming. I stepped inside the gym and closed the door. She then grabbed my arm and dragged me to the other members. She stopped in front of a line of members.

'_Are they the freshmen then?'_ I thought.

"Please introduce yourself then, Yamamoto-san." Aida-san said, looking at me briefly.

"Hai Aida-san. I'm Yamamoto Shin, 2-C. I'm from the Photography club. I was assigned to your club for a project, and I will take pictures of your team for the whole school year. Please take good care of me." I drawled, and then bowed.

The assumed-freshmen were flustered. _'Eh? Cute…Like little kids…They're my Kohai then?' _Blink. Blink.

"Please take good care of us too!" They replied, bowing back.

'_Black…Brown…Brown…Red? Ah cool, red hair!...Wait, is that blue?' _I blinked slowly. Is blue hair even possible? Maybe dyed?

"The name's Koganei Shinji!" A brown haired boy said to me, his lips curved…_'Like a neko-chan's! Neko-chan!'_ I thought, with my mouth open. He then pointed to a taller guy with black hair. "This guy's Mitobe Rinnosuke!" Mitobe-san just nodded and smiled at me. _'A silent guy, huh?'_

I could hear someone muttering, and I turned to face the source.

"CAMRA has a camera…" He said, all the while writing on a notebook.

A startled laugh escaped from my lips.

'_That was just…'_

"AWFUL!" A guy with glasses said and then punched the Pun-san's head.

'_Ah?...Doesn't that hurt?'_

"But Captain, he laughed! Then it must have been funny!" Pun-san tried to defend, rubbing his head.

"GO DIE!" Captain-san shouted.

'_Ah. They're very energetic.'_

Captain-san face-palmed, then muttered. _'Captain-san must be very stressed.'_ I thought, pitying him.

"I'm Hyuuga Junpei , the captain. This guy's Izuki Shun. Don't mind his puns, you'll get used to it." Captain-san said to me, offering me his hand. I shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Captain-san."

"Ah, just call me Hyuuga." He replied, smiling.

"Hyuuga-san then." I smiled back.

'_I just noticed it now…And a lot of people had been telling me that I'm short for my age, a 5'5"…But I only really feel it now because almost all of them are taller than me! Even the freshmen-tachi! I'm barely even taller than Aida-san!' _I thought, pouting. _'Don't worry Shin! You'll still get taller!'_

"Now that we're all acquainted…" Aida-san started. I could practically hear the drum roll.

"TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRTS!" She finished. Her face was completely serious.

It was so silent, you could hear the crickets.

"EH?! WHY!?" The freshmen shouted.

I couldn't resist.

*CLICK*

I quickly took a picture of their reaction. I snickered to myself. Their faces were priceless!

'_Maybe it's too late to ask, but…' _

"Ano, Aida-san. It's alright for me to take pictures already, right?" I asked while holding my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It was a gift from my parents. I had a deal with them when I was younger that if I had outstanding grades and that for several years I would not get any kind of present from them (Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, etc.), they would buy an amazing camera for me. I made that deal when I was 9 years old. I'm 16 now, and they bought it for me last year.

"Yes Yamamoto-san." She replied. "NOW FRESHMEN! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS! JUST DO IT!"

They quickly took off their shirts.

'_She's kind of like Fujimoto-senpai! She rules with an iron fist!'_ I thought, impressed, nodding to myself.

*CLICK*

'_Blackmail~!'_ I snickered to myself. _'Or maybe it's something like 'team bonding'? When they grow older, they could tell stories like, "You know, when we were younger, our coach made us take off our shirts in front of her!" Now THAT would be a story to tell.'_

"Your ability to move instantaneously is a little weak." Aida-san said, looking at one of the freshmen.

"I bet you do 50 side jumps in 20 seconds, don't you?" She continued. "You'll need to do a little better for the basketball team."

"O-Okay." Kohai-san replied.

She then walked to another freshman. "You're too stiff!" She said to him.

"Do some stretches after you bathe!"

"You should strengthen up a bit!"

And so on and so forth.

'_She sounds like one of those…'_

"Her dad's a sports trainer" Hyuuga-san explained to the freshmen trio near him. I went near them to hear more.

"Collecting data and creating a data regimen, it's a skill she picked up from observing bodies and data everyday at his workplace. When she looks at your body, she sees all your physical abilities in numbers. I wouldn't expect any less from a coach."

'_Eh? Aida-san is so cool! Does that mean she has a superpower?'_ I thought, my eyes twinkling.

Aida-san then stopped in front of Red-san.

She just stared at him for a long, long time.

"Coach! What are you staring at?" Hyuuga-san said to Aida-san, exasperated.

"Sorry! Ummm…"

"You looked at all of them. Kagami's the last one."

'_But…There's still Blue-san…Should I tell them? Eh, they'll figure it out by themselves." _ I thought, shrugging to myself.

"Really? Huh? Is Kuroko-kun here?" She said, while looking around.

"Oh that kid from Teiko…" Hyuuga-san said.

People started whispering.

'_Teiko? Ah, Generation of Miracles or something?'_

"Looks like he's not here today." Aida-san said, and then raised her arm. "All right let's get started with practice!"

Blue-san went in front of Aida-san.

"Ano…Excuse me. I'm Kuroko." He said to Aida-san.

Silence.

"AHHHHHH!" Aida-san shrieked.

Everyone was surprised at his presence.

*CLICK*

'_Ah! Priceless faces!'_

"What? How long have you been there?" Hyuuga-san said, shocked.

"Ano…Hyuuga-san."

"Hmmmm?" He turned to me.

"Kuroko-kun was here the whole time. I didn't tell you because I thought you guys would notice." I sheepishly replied.

Kuroko-kun turned to me with slightly wider eyes, and then it returned back to normal.

'_Eh? Was I not supposed to notice? Was he playing ninja or something?'_ I though puzzled.

'_Or maybe he's a secret agent training to be invisible!' _

"Ah, senpai is right. I've been here the whole time." Kuroko-kun said.

Koganei-san and Hyuuga-san walked to them.

"What? This guy's part of the Generation of Miracles? He couldn't have been a regular." Koganei-san said.

"Of course not. Right Kuroko-kun?" Hyuuga-san answered Koganei-san and directed a question towards Kuroko-kun.

'_Don't they know the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover."?'_

"I played in games."

"Right?" Hyuuga-san said, smiling. Didn't he hear Kuroko-kun's answer?

"What?"

Pause.

"WHAT?"

Aida-san looked annoyed at their late reaction.

"Take off your shirt."

"What? Okay."

He took off his shirt.

Pause.

She just stared at him.

'_Eh? What's wrong with Aida-san?'_

* * *

It was already late. Some people might wonder why I was still wondering around at this time, when I'm supposed to be already at home. My answer had always been the same thing.

"Because there are so many things that you could only see at night. Why would I waste the chance of taking a picture of it?" I whispered to myself.

Night life could be beautiful in some ways, too.

I stopped beside a basketball court. I could hear people talking. I turned and saw Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun talking inside the court.

*CLICK*

It was oddly beautiful, that scene. It may be too much, but it looked as if it was two sides of a war, two different opinions.

They turned towards me.

"Hey." I said, smiling and waving with my free hand. "Mind if I watch your game?"

"Ah no, senpai. I don't mind." Kuroko-kun replied. Kagami-kun just shook his head and pointed me to a bench. I slowly walked over and sat there.

The game had started.

It was a total beat down.

Kuroko-kun wasn't able to stop Kagami-kun from scoring, and when Kuroko-kun would shoot, Kagami-kun would just swat his hand and the ball wouldn't be with Kuroko-kun anymore, and Kuroko-kun would chase it.

'_But why do I feel like there's something more?'_

"You've gotta be kidding me! Have you been listening? How much do you have to overestimate your own abilities to think you can beat me? I can't believe how arrogantly you challenged me!" Kagami-kun shouted.

'_Eh. He's really ticked off.'_

"You can't be serious. Of course you're stronger than me. I knew that before we started." Kuroko-kun calmly replied.

Kagami-kun lifted Kuroko-kun by his shirt.

"You want a fight?" Kagami-kun snarled at him.

I just acted.

In less than a second, I was beside them.

"Oi. Kagami, let go of him now." I said to him in an icy tone, daring him to refuse.

He slowly puts him down.

"I wanted to see how good you are for myself." Kuroko-kun said.

"What?"Kagami-kun replied, and then face-palmed.

"Um…" Kuroko-kun offered the basketball to Kagami-kun.

"Enough." Kagami-kun said, waving it away. "I'm not interested in the weak."

I tensed at his words.

He walked to his things. "Let me tell you one last thing. You should quit basketball. However much you try to cover it up with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life. You've got no talent for basketball." He turned to leave.

I walked over to my things.

"You know Kagami-kun."

He stopped.

"I don't believe in what you said."

He turned to me.

"In Mulan, Fa Zhou said that that one late blossom, when it blooms, would be the most beautiful of all. It's kinda like Kuroko-kun, don't you think? Right now he doesn't seem that impressive, but I'm sure that when his potential is brought out, he would be the most amazing person in the court! And I hate how you talk as if talent is the most important thing! It's as if you're spitting on the efforts of the people who aren't giving up!" I told him, while fixing my stuff.

"Ah senpai…" Kagami-kun said.

"I don't accept it either." Kuroko-kun said, walking over to his things, basketball in his hands. "First of all, I love basketball. And I don't share your opinion. I don't care who's strong or weak. I'm not like you. I'm a shadow."

Silence.

Then I chuckled.

"Eh. Let's go home!" I said, smiling. "Bye!"

I walked away slowly; my house was just near after all. I looked behind me, and I saw Kuroko-kun.

"Eh? Kuroko-kun? Are you following me?" I said, surprised.

"Ah no, senpai. My house is at the same way."

"Walk beside me then, I don't mind."

"Okay, senpai."

We walked in silence. We took a few turns. I guess he wasn't joking that his house was at the same way. He suddenly stopped walking. He pointed at a house.

"Eh? Kuroko-kun, this is your house?"

"Yes senpai. Why?"

I pointed at the house beside his.

"Because this is my house."

Pause.

"Ah, really?"

"Uhn." I replied, smiling. "Goodnight then, Kuroko-kun." He nodded, and walked towards the door.

"Ah wait, Kuroko-kun."

"Hm?" He turned towards me.

"Don't believe what Kagami-kun said. I'm sure you're a really good basketball player. Because for me, the first requirement to be good at something is passion, Kuroko-kun. And you have lots and lots of it." I told him, grinning slightly.

"Ah arigato senpai." He replied, smiling back.

"Goodnight then, Kuroko-kun."

"Goodnight, Yamamoto-senpai."

Then we went inside our houses.

I shut the door behind me.

'_Huh. Not only 'senpai' anymore.'_

* * *

"What? A mini-game?"

*CLICK*

I yawned; I was sleepy. It was raining outside, and rain had always made me sleepy. They're going to have a match today, 1st years vs. 2nd years; yellow vs. blue.

"I can't believe we're playing the upperclassmen already." Kawahara-kun said.

"Do you remember the record from last year they told us about during our first meeting?" Fukuda-kun asked. "They went to the finals just in their first year."

"Are you serious?"

"That's not normal." Furihata-kun said.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's always better to have stronger opponents than weak ones." Kagami-kun said. He looks fired up. "Let's go."

*WHISTLE*

*CLICK*

'_Ah. The freshmen got the ball first.'_

Kawahara-kun got the ball, and passed it to Kagami-kun.

'_Kagami-kun dunked, huh.'_

*CLICK*

The freshmen are leading, 11-8. This is impressive! Kagami-kun just keeps on dunking.

'_But…Isn't he getting tired?'_

Ah. Izuki-san stole the ball from Kuroko-kun. Koganei-san got the ball, and passed it to Mitobe-san. Mitobe-san shot the ball, and it was about to go in, but Kagami-kun blocked it.

*CLICK*

'_Eh. So high!'_

*WHISTLE*

Izuki-san, Koganei-san, and Hyuuga-san are marking Kagami-kun. He has the ball.

*CLICK*

'_If two people is "Double team", is this "Triple team"?'_

He doesn't have the ball now.

They're double teaming him even if he doesn't have the ball.

*CLICK*

The Blue team keeps on scoring. Kagami-kun couldn't do anything about it, because of the marking.

The 2nd years are leading, 15-31.

"They're strong."

"There's no way we could have won."

"I've had enough"

'_Giving up already?'_ I thought, frowning.

Kagami-kun lifts Furihata-kun by his shirt.

"ENOUGH? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Kagami-kun shouted at him

'_Kagami-kun sure is violent…Though I don't blame him, I'm kind of pissed by what they said, and I'm not even on their team!" _ I thought, my eyebrows furrowing.

Kuroko-kun quickly defused the situation, hitting the back of the knees of Kagami-kun with his own knees.

"Please calm down" Kuroko-kun said to him.

"You bastard…"

'_Or he just made the situation worse.' _ I thought, wincing.

The 2nd years are looking at them.

"Looks like they're fighting." Koganei-san said. Izuki-san looks surprised. "What's wrong?"

"Was he in the game?"

"Kuroko? I don't know."

'_Don't tell me…They didn't notice him again?'_

"Excuse me. Could you just pass me the ball?" Kuroko-kun said to Fukuda-kun.

I smirked to myself.

I can feel it. The table's turning!

"You can do it! Three more minutes!" Yellow-san said.

Fukuda-kun passed it to Kuroko-kun.

Then magic happened.

I'm not joking.

Fukuda-kun passed it to Kuroko-kun.

Then suddenly the ball's with Furihata-kun, and he scored.

*CLICK*

'_Cool!'_

The ball's with Kawahara-kun. He passed it to Kuroko-kun.

Then suddenly the ball's with Fukuda-kun. He scored.

Do you see the pattern here?

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

'_Don't judge a book by its cover, indeed.' _I thought, smiling.

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

It's 36-37 now, 2nd years leading by one point.

Kuroko-kun got the ball! He runs with it, no one's defending the basket of the blue team. His teammates are cheering him on.

He makes a shot.

*CLICK*

But the ball hits the rim.

*CLICK*

But Kagami-kun gets the rebound and dunks it in.

*CLICK*

I lowered my camera.

It's 38-37, the 1st years won.

'_Eh…Basketball really is cool.'_

* * *

"Kuroko-kun, all you want is vanilla milkshake? Are you sure?"

"Hai Yamamoto-senpai, thank you for treating me."

Kuroko-kun and I are at Maji Burger. We decided that since our houses are just beside each other, we might as well walk home together. And well, I got hungry and I dragged him here.

I paid for our food, took the tray and placed it on a free table. I sat on the chair, and he sat across me.

"Good job on the game today." I said, grinning.

I held up a fist.

He raised his and bumped it to mine.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-senpai." He replied, smiling softly.

I noticed Kagami-kun walk in, and order.

An impish grin appeared on my face.

"Hey Kuroko-kun."

"Hai?"

"I bet that Kagami-kun will just sit here with us, without even knowing that we're there." I snickered. "He looks like the type."

Lo and behold, Kagami-kun placed his tray of burgers on our table and sat next to me.

He took a bite.

His eyes grew wide.

He almost choked, but quickly swallowed.

I snickered.

"Hello." Kuroko-kun said to him.

"Where'd you come from? What are you doing?" Kagami-kun replied.

"We were sitting here first." Kuroko-kun said. "I like this place's vanilla milkshakes."

"Go somewhere else."

"Ah…Kagami-kun is so disrespectful, telling us to go somewhere else, when we were here first." I drawled.

He slowly turned his head towards me.

"EH?! SENPAI SINCE WHEN WERE YOU HERE?"

"Really…I was here since awhile ago…Didn't you hear Kuroko-kun say "we"? Is it because I'm small or something?"

Silence.

"Don't worry, I already know I'm small."

Kagami-kun sighs.

He takes a burger and gives one to Kuroko-kun.

"Here. I don't like guys who suck at basketball. But you've earned yourself one of those." He said.

He takes another burger and gives it to me.

"Yamamoto-senpai, here. It's an apology. I wasn't spitting on people's efforts. I just want a basketball game that's really exciting." He said, gruffly.

"Thanks." Kuroko-kun and I said.

After eating, we left.

We're just walking around.

Then suddenly, Kagami-kun spoke up.

"Just how strong is the Generation of Miracles? If I played them now, how would I do?"

"You'd be destroyed instantly."

'_Kagami-kun looks pissed.'_ I thought, sweatdropping.

"Do you have to put it like that?" He snarled.

"The five prodigies have each gone on to play for their own schools. One of those schools will stand at the top."

Kagami-kun chuckled.

"That's great. That's the kind of thing that lights a fire in me." He said, grinning. "I've decided. I'll crush all of them and become Japan's best player."

"I don't think that's possible." Kuroko-kun deadpanned.

"OI!"

"If you have hidden talent, I wouldn't know. But from what I've seen, you wouldn't even reach their feet."

We crossed the street.

"You can't do it alone." Kuroko-kun continued. "I've also decided. I'm a shadow. But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow, and the more it accentuates the brightness of the light. I will be the shadow to your light, and make you the best player in Japan."

Kagami-kun looks shocked but smiled. "Look who's talking. Do whatever you want."

Silence.

"That was very deep, Kuroko-kun. Very, very deep." I commented.

They turned to me.

"Ah. Why are you looking at your senpai like that? Show some respect. Should I make a promise too?

I hummed.

A sudden light bulb!

"I'm just your photographer! But I'll be here with you guys for the whole school year! I'll take pictures of the team, overcoming every obstacle, so that we'll never forget the things we'll be experiencing this year! I'll take pictures of you making history! I'll capture your memories for you!"

I held up a fist.

And their fists bumped into mine.

* * *

**A.N.**

**Hello.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**I did my best.**


	3. Goal

Capturing Memories

Summary: A yearlong project could be what it takes to make Yamamoto Shin's life turn into a one of a kind roller coaster ride. Oh well, he might as well enjoy the ride.

* * *

Chapter 3: Goal

* * *

"Ah! Yamamoto-san!"

I stopped and looked behind me.

Eh?

'_Ah it's Aida-san.'_

"Yes! I finally found you!" She said, trying to catch her breath.

"Aida-san, why were you looking for me?"

Blink. Blink.

"I just wanted to tell you that you should go to the roof on Monday at 8:40! You should be there to witness us upholding tradition!" She exclaimed, doing dramatic gestures.

*CLICK*

"OI! DELETE THAT!"

"I'm sorry, Aida-san. But no."

I started walking, and she walked beside me, pouting.

We were walking towards our classrooms.

Lunch time was almost over, after all.

As good students, we should be in class on time.

Or something.

"Tradition?" I asked her, curious.

"Uhn! There's morning assembly on Monday. The freshmen would shout their name, year, class, and goal for the year! Hyuuga-kun and the others did this last year too!" She replied, laughing.

"Ah. That's pretty interesting, Aida-san." I smiled.

"Right? Right? Oh, you could even participate! Maybe I shouldn't have told you about it. Imagine, the look on your face! It would have been priceless!"

I just shook my head at her antics.

Eh?

Blink. Blink.

"Aida-san."

"Hm?"

"Look." I pointed at Kagami-kun. "It's Kagami-kun."

"He looks dumb, just standing there outside the Library."

I laughed.

"Let's go say hi!" She said.

We walked near him.

"Oi, Kagami-kun. Why are you just standing there?" I said, poking his back.

He jumped and quickly turned around to face me.

"EH?! SENPAI SINCE WHEN YOU WERE YOU HERE?!" He shouted, startled.

"Shhhh." I told him, finger placed against my lips. "We're outside the library." I pointed at the sign.

He twitched.

"And what do you mean, "Since when were you here?"? Aida-san and I just arrived."

He twitched again.

"Anyway, Kagami-kun." Aida-san started. "Why are you standing outside the library? Frankly, you look like an idiot, just standing there."

He twitched again.

"Coach, Kuroko disappeared on me."

"Ah." She replied, understanding immediately.

I noticed something.

His face looked kind of…

'_Sitcky?'_

I poked his cheek.

He stared at me.

I could practically see the question marks.

I just kept on poking.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"Ano, senpai. What are you doing?"

"Kagami-kun." I said. "Why is your face sticky?'

I accidentally brought the finger near my nose.

My eyes widened.

I sniffed my finger.

"Kagami-kun, why does it smell like milk?"

He just looked at Aida-san.

"Ehhh." Aida-san said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm not going to ask anymore." I shook my head. "Kagami-kun, you should go back to your classroom. In five minutes, class will be starting. Isn't the freshmen's rooms far away from here?"

His mouth opened.

Silence.

Blink.

Suddenly, he wasn't beside us anymore.

He ran really, really fast.

"THANK YOU SENPAI!" He shouted before making a quick turn.

"Ah, Aida-san."

"Hm?"

"The freshmen sure are energetic."

* * *

"Come on, Yamamoto-san! Faster! We have to get there before them!"

"Hai, hai."

It was already Monday, and we were heading to the roof. Aida-san got it into her head that we should be there before them. Doesn't she know that we could have been fashionably late instead?

She pushed open the doors.

We were finally at the roof.

It's only 8:30.

"Aida-san, aren't we a bit too early?"

"No way! Now, help me plan what I'm going to say!"

Silence.

Blink. Blink.

"Eh?" I said, startled.

'_Is this the reason why she wanted to be early?'_

"You heard me! Help me plan what I'm going to say!

*CLICK*

"Ah! I know! Laugh a little when they arrive!"

She nodded.

We kept on discussing and laughing.

I looked at my watch.

It's already 8:39.

Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.

"Aida-san, they'll be here any minute-"

The doors suddenly opened.

The freshmen were already here.

On cue, Aida-san turned around to face them.

"Ha…ha…ha…" Aida-san laughed.

She smirked.

*CLICK*

I couldn't take it.

I snickered at their faces.

She laughed.

We gave each other a high five.

'_But, why are they so few? Where are the others? Did they give up?'_

"I've been waiting for you." Aida-san said.

"Is this a duel?" Kuroko-kun said, blankly.

I chuckled.

"I forgot all about it, but on Monday…" Kagami-kun said. "The morning assembly is in five minutes!"

Ah, his shout echoed.

Cool.

"Hurry up and take it." Kagami-kun said to Aida-san, waving the club form.

"Kagami-kun sure is disrespectful…" I commented.

"Before that, I have something to tell you." Aida-san said. "I made a promise when the captain asked me to be their coach last year. I promised to solely focus on pushing them towards the national championship. If you don't think you're ready for that, there are other clubs more suited for you." She finished.

"What? Of course I'm-" Kagami-kun started.

"I know you're strong." Aida-san interrupted. "But I need to know if you have something more important. No matter how hard you practice, "someday" or "maybe" isn't good enough."

The freshmen looked shocked and confused.

"What Aida-san means is that you need a goal, and the perseverance to reach it." I explained to them. "It would help you concentrate and put more effort in basketball if you know what you're aiming for."

Aida-san nodded.

"Exactly what he said." She said to them, and then she suddenly pointed at the morning assembly below. "Give me your year, class, and name. Announce your goals here and now." She smirked. "If you fail to achieve them-"

'_Eh? She didn't tell me anything about this.'_

"You'll come back here, strip naked, and confess your feelings to the girl - and now that I think about it - or boy you love!" She said, with a serious face.

Silence.

"EHHHHH?!"

*CLICK*

The freshmen stared pleadingly at me.

I shrugged at them.

"Don't look at me like that, she didn't tell me anything about this."

"All the second years did it last year." She reasoned. "You'll have to do better than "play my first game" or "try my best".

Pause.

"We're waiting." I drawled.

"This'll be easy" Kagami-kun said. He walked forward. "This isn't even a test."

Then he freaking jumped onto the railing.

I'm not joking.

'_The idiot! What if he falls?! Then he wouldn't be able to reach his goal at all!' _I thought, irritated. Doesn't he think?

"Oi, Kagami. Get down, you might fall."

"Class 1-B, number 5, Kagami Taiga." He said, as if not hearing me."I will defeat the Generation of Miracles and become the best player in Japan!"

*CLICK*

'_Idiot, but he's a good idiot.' _I thought, smiling.

Then he jumped down the railing, and went back to stand with the other freshmen, as if it was nothing at all.

"Who's next?" Aida-san asked. "If you don't hurry up, the teachers will get here."

"Excuse me." Furihata-kun said. "Could I say I want a girlfriend?"

Blink. Blink.

Eh?

'_Just like Moriyama-senpai?'_

"No." Aida-san said with a scary smile. "What else do you have?"

"I-I've got one…" Kawahara-kun said. "Class 1-A, Kawahara Koichi, from Chuo-ku, Tokyo."

*CLICK*

"I was a sickly kid, so I couldn't play sports-"

I tensed.

"_Shin-kun, thank you for being with Hika-chan. My son is sickly, that's why he can't play like the other kids, and that's why they don't want to be friends with him. Thank you for being his friend."_

"Things started to change for me in kindergarten-"

_I was in grade school. There was a lonely kid by the swings._

"_Hey, do you want to be friends?" I said to him, beaming._

"I'll never forget the all star game I saw at school in fifth grade. It was the first time I ever thought basketball was cool-"

"_Shin-chan look!"_

"_Hm?_

"_They're so cool!" He pointed at the boys playing soccer._

"I joined my school's basketball club in middle school, but I wasn't very good. I was always dragging my team down, and I was miserable-"

"_Idiot, I don't want you to be my teammate. I'm not interested in the weak. You should just quit." The boy walked away. All I wanted to do was to punch him._

_Hikaru cried._

"_Shin-chan! It hurts!" He cried, pointing at his chest._

_I hugged him for all it was worth._

"But-"

"_I'm not going to cry about what he said anymore. Because I have Kaa-san, Tou-san, Auntie, Uncle and most of all, I have Shin-chan!"_

Aida-san kicked Kawahara-kun, making him fall on his face.

"Next." She said.

Anger surged through me.

I shook my head, and reined it in.

'_It's okay, Shin. Aida-san is nothing like the boy who made Hikaru cry."_

I offered Kawahara-kun my hand.

He took it, and I helped him up.

"Don't worry Kawahara-kun. Aida-san is always like that. Determination is important. As long as you never give up, I believe you'll never be a burden to the team." I said to him, beaming.

Tears streamed down his face, and he quickly hugged me.

"Arigato senpai!" He sniffled.

I patted his back.

"Okay, go back to the other freshmen now, Kawahara-kun."

"Of course, senpai!"

He quickly went back in line.

'_Don't think about it now, Shin. You can think about it later, just not now."_ I thought, tensing

"Um, I want a girlfriend." Furihata-kun said.

'_Really like Moriyama-senpai'_

"I told you, no." Aida-san replied. I could tell she was getting irritated.

"Class 1-D, Fukuda Hiroshi." Fukuda-kun said. "I like helping others, so when I heard an upperclassman asking for help, I immediately offered my assistance."

*CLICK*

"You're a good kohai." I told him.

Aida-san looked at me.

"What? I appreciate my kohai's effort! Isn't it nice when you need help, your kohai helps you?" I said, defending myself.

"Class 1-D, Furihata Koki." Furihata-kun said. "The girl I like said she'd go out with me if I became the best at something. I joined the basketball team to become number one!"

*CLICK*

He turned towards Aida-san.

"If that's not good enough, I don't mind if I can't join the team." He said.

"I guess I'm moved." Aida-san replied.

"And I'm impressed." I told her.

I turned towards Furihata-kun.

"I'm serious. That's a lot of effort for the girl you like, Furihata-kun. She's lucky to have your affections."I told him, giving him a thumbs-up.

He blushed, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Arigato, senpai." Furihata-kun said, smiling.

"Ah, Yamamoto-san, why don't you go next?" Aida-san said.

"Hai, hai."

I faced towards the morning assembly.

"Class 2-C, Yamamoto Shin!" I shouted. "I'm their photographer! I want to keep my promise! I'll be with the team for the whole year, and make memories with them. I'll capture the memories we make, for them!"

I turned to the freshmen.

"I'm done. Who's next?" I said, grinning.

"Excuse me." Kuroko-kun said, and held up a megaphone. "I'm not good at speaking loudly, so may I use this?"

Aida-san sweatdropped.

"Where did you get that?" She said, but nonetheless nodded.

Kuroko-kun faced the morning assembly.

He held up the megaphone near his lips.

He opened his mouth.

*CLICK*

The doors opened.

"OI!"

'_Ah. Principal-san is here…"_ I thought, sheepishly. _'Busted.'_

"The basketball club again?!" Principal-san said.

All of us sat in a seiza position, in line.

"I warned you last year." Principal-san said, exasperated. "Didn't you say you'd never do this again? You should know what's right and wrong at your age!"

"Ano…Principal-san." I said. "May I interrupt?"

He paused, but nodded.

"Maybe it was timed a little wrong, but I think that the act is not harmful at all." I continued. "I think it is a good tradition, because this helps us realize what we're aiming for this school year."

He frowned, but nodded again, telling me to continue.

"Principal-san, when you were you younger, did you have friends?" He nodded. "When you did things together, did you grow closer, even if it was ridiculous?" He nodded again. "Then think of it this way, Principal-san. This tradition helps us grow closer to each other, because we shout out our goals together. Shouting it in front of the morning assembly also helps us, because if we're in a slump and we're giving up, the whole school could remind us what exactly we're aiming for, right?"

No answer.

I continued.

"I'm sorry if I was rude, Principal-san. I just really think that this tradition doesn't harm anyone. We just don't want to forget what we're aiming for." I said, bowing slightly. "The memories we will have because we did this tradition could really help us."

He turned away from us.

"I remember now. Akira, didn't we do this too?" I could hear him whisper. The freshmen and Aida-san turned to me. I shrugged at them.

He faced us again.

"Alright. I'll let you continue you this tradition." He said. We silently cheered from our position. "BUT YOU BETTER MAKE THIS FIVE MINUTES EARLIER SO YOU WON'T INTERRUPT ME SPEAKING IN THE MORNING ASSEMBLY!"

We quickly nodded.

"NOW GO JOIN THE OTHERS!"

We quickly ran.

"Yamamoto-san, have you ever thought of becoming a lawyer?" Aida-san whispered to me, while we were running.

I just smiled.

* * *

"Kuroko-kun, are you really sure that all you want is a vanilla milkshake?" I asked him, a bit confused.

"Hai Yamamoto-senpai. Thank you for treating me again." He replied.

It was the same situation.

We were at Maji Burger again. I was hungry, and I dragged him here.

I placed our tray on the table, the same place we were at the other day.

I sat on the same seat.

He sat across me.

Just like the other day.

Kagami-kun walks in and orders.

Wait…Eh? Kagami-kun?

'_Déjà vu much?'_

"Kuroko-kun."

"Yes, Yamamoto-senpai?"

"I bet Kagami-kun would sit with us, and not notice us again." I said, smiling a little. "He's not observant at all, when it comes to things like this."

As soon as I said that, Kagami-kun walked over to our table and placed his tray of burgers on it, and sat beside me.

He took a bite.

His eyes grew wide.

He almost choked, but quickly swallowed.

I snickered. Really, I think this would never grow old.

"Hello." Kuroko-kun said.

"You again?" Kagami-kun said. "Maybe I should start eating somewhere else."

"Ah. Kagami-kun sure is mean." I said.

He turned towards me.

"EH?! SENPAI YOU TOO?!"

"Really, it was funny at first but…" I sighed. "And I'm beside you too!"

"I wasn't able to shout mine earlier. What will I do if I can't join the basketball team?" Kuroko-kun asked, honestly worried.

"Don't worry, Kuroko-kun. I don't think that's going to happen." I said, waving it off. "It's not your fault that when you were going to say it, we got busted."

"We'll see." Kuroko-kun said, not letting it go.

"By the way, why didn't you go to some big name school like the other five guys?" Kagami-kun asked. "You were good enough to be known as the phantom sixth member."

Kuroko-kun took a sip of his vanilla milkshake.

Pause.

"Is there some reason you play basketball?" Kagami-kun continued.

"My middle school's basketball team had one core principle." Kuroko-kun replied. "Winning is everything."

"That's just messed up." I said, frowning.

Kuroko-kun nodded at my words.

"Instead of teamwork, we needed to push the individual talents of the Generation of Miracles to win."Kuroko-kun closed his eyes, reminiscing. "Nothing could beat us, but we weren't a team. The five of them approved, but I felt we lacked something important."

'_Kuroko-kun is really cool! He sounds like a superhero!'_ I thought, eyes twinkling.

"Are you gonna beat the Generation of Miracles your own way, then?" Kagami-kun asked, curious.

"That's what I was thinking." Kuroko-kun said. "Your words and coach's words really struck me. Now, my biggest reason to play is to try to make you and our team the best in Japan."

I smiled at his words.

"But you got something wrong, Kuroko-kun. We're not gonna _try_-" I started, grinning.

"We're gonna _be_ the best." Kagami-kun finished, face completely serious.

Kuroko-kun smiled.

"Can I just say something?" They turned to me. "Kuroko-kun sounds like a superhero! He's like those superheroes that beats up the villains and makes them see the wrong in their ways. So are we his sidekicks or something?"

They just stared at me.

"Really! Why are you staring at your senpai like that? So disrespectful…"

* * *

"Yamamoto-senpai."

I looked behind me. It was still kind of early. I was the only student in school, or so I thought.

"Ah. Good morning Kuroko-kun."

"Good morning Yamamoto-senpai." Kuroko-kun rubbed the back of his head. "Ano…senpai. I need your help."

"Eh?"

He simply showed me a bucket of chalk.

"_I wasn't able to shout mine earlier. What will I do if I can't join the basketball team?"_

I took it from him, and started walking. He walked beside me. I stopped at a large, unoccupied piece of land, near the doors of the school. I laid the bucket on the ground, and proceeded to fold up my sleeves. I finished, and decided fold his sleeves too.

"Kuroko-kun sure is interesting…" I said, while folding his sleeves.

Pause.

"I'm sorry, but this is the first time someone said this to me, so I don't know how to react." He said, blankly.

I smiled at him. "Just say thank you Kuroko-kun."

He smiled back. "Thank you Yamamoto-senpai."

I finished folding his sleeves.

I cracked my knuckles, and took two pieces of chalk from the bucket. I gave the other one to him.

"Okay, so what do you want write?"

Pause.

"We will be the best in Japan."

I blinked at his words.

Blink. Blink.

I grinned at him.

"Kuroko-kun really is interesting."

After a few minutes, we were finished. I had let him write the words, while I guided him. It was kind of hard, because the characters we were writing on the ground were bigger than us. I even drew a 1st place trophy with "Seirin" written on it, on top of a separate word "Japan" beside the goal he had written.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun is kind of clumsy too." I said while wiping off the chalk from his sleeve. Only a little remained. "Really, and I already folded your sleeves too."

He didn't say anything.

I will assume that he was listening.

"Anyway, let's go out of school and walk around for awhile." I said to him. "So people can't get suspicious of us."

I started walking with him beside me.

A family of squirrels on a tree branch.

*CLICK*

The sun shyly peeking behind the clouds.

*CLICK*

A single flower on the side, surrounded by dirt and grime, but looking brighter because of it.

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

"Senpai, can I ask you something?"

"Ah. Sure."

*CLICK*

"Why was senpai early today?" I stopped walking. "I was early today for the goal, but I thought that at this early, no one would be at school. I was shocked because I saw you at that time.

I resumed walking, and he matched my pace.

"It's because Kuroko-kun, there are so many beautiful things you could only see at an early morning. Why would I waste a chance of taking a picture of it?" I replied to him, grinning.

*CLICK*

I took a picture of his semi-shocked face.

"Ah, let's go to school already." I looked at my watch. "At this time, there should be other students already, so we wouldn't look suspicious."

He nodded at my words.

After twenty minutes or so, we arrived at school. We parted ways; him going to his classroom, and me going to mine.

When I entered my classroom, I saw my classmates crowding by the windows. I walked over, and looked.

*CLICK*

I smiled to myself.

'_Be the best in Japan, huh?...Kuroko-kun sure is interesting.'_

* * *

**A.N.**

**I did my best.**

**Thank you for reading.**

***bow***

**thecoldforest, hecate600, YokoFujioka, Imacchi:**

**Thank you for reviewing! Your reviews are very much appreciated.**

**I hope I will meet your expectations.**

***bow***


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